Loose-leaf binder.



H; G. MILLER. LOOSE BEA? BINDER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6, 1910.

HENRY C. MILLER, OF MILWAFUKEE, WISCONSIN.

Loosn LnAr nannies.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY C. hairline, a citizen of the United. States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Binders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention consists in what is herein particularly set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims of this specification, its object being to provide simple, economical, durable and eflicient loose-leaf binders that may be readily assembled or taken apart, each binder being of the type that comprises a pair of united hook-carrying plates in rocking engagement with a spring-plate preferably designed for detachable connection with a back to' which a pair of covers are flexibly secured.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a plan view of one of my improved loose-leaf binders in detachable connection with a back to which a pair of covers are flexibly se-' cured, the united hook-plates of the binder being slid back in the spring-plate of the same; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section view of what is shown in Fig. l, and Figs. 3 and 4 transverse section views respectively indicated by lines 3--3 and l-4 in Fig. 2. ,l

Referring bynumerals to the drawings, 5 indicates a. concave-convex sheet-metalliack, and 6 each of a pair of covers in flexible connection with the back as is usual in the art.

Struck up from the back, central of the same hold said spring-plate in detachable conne'ction with said back. By employing the two slipkeys, one engaging a plurality of back-' plate loops and the other a single one of said loops, clearance is obtained-for the lever I hereinafter specified. The longitudinal edges. of the spring.- plate are inturned to provide flanges 11 and the paired hook-carrying plates 12 of the binder are caught under saidfianges in rocking engagement with said spring-plate. It

is preferable to provide the hook-carrying plates with registering transverse kerfs at suitable intervals and to engage the notches Specification otLe'stei-s Patent.

application filed August 6, 1910- Serial No. 575,986.

Patented Sept. 9, 19113.

with angularly bent- ShQGt'IHQlJal strips constituting stiff ties 13 upon which said plates have play, but while this is a preferred novel construction and arrangement of parts, theme; aforesaid plates may be otherwise united; The hooks 14 are soldered or otherwise rig idly connected to the plates 12, those of one plate being ll-pointed to engage with tgrooves in those of the other plate, as is common in the art. The hookcarrying plates are under compression in the springplate, their downward movement being limited by the engagement of the opposing ends of the hooks, and their upward movement is m limited by the ties 13 upon which they have loose play and operate inv unison.

Fulcrumed within the confines of the spring-plate 8 permanent therewith and extending at one end beyond said plate is a 5 lever 15 of the first class for which the hookcarrying plates 12, opposing its inner end, are the load. The lever is operated to lift the plates 12, when it is desired to spread the hooks 14 apart, said lever being animporso tant feature, of my invention, as thereby the liftin of said plates may be effected by thum ressure and the spreading of said acilitated.

The lever herein shown is an angularly 35 bent flat strip provided at one bend thereof with trunnions that are caught between thee back 5 and transverse indentations 16 of the sprin plate 8, and said spring-plate is longitudinally slotted intermediate of said inen dentations to provide clearance for said bend of said lever. The \[pwardly inclined inner end of the lever opposes the hock-carrying plates 12', and its other end is exposed at end of the binder where it is suitably ele' vated, as a result of suitable bending of the fiat strip from which said lever is made.

I claim: 1: In a loose-leaf binder, a spring-plate, a

pair oFhook-carrying plates in rocking en- 10o gag Iinent with the spring-plate, and angular stiff tie-strips engaging registering transverse play kerfs provided in the hoo'k-carrying plates.

2. In a loose-leaf hinder, the combination ofa sheet-metal back having loops struck up therefrom at intervals longitudinally there of, a spring -plate having slots therein through which the back-loops extend, a key sl'idable .on the plate and detachably engag- 1m ingaplur-ality of the loops, another key also slidable on said plate in engagement with.

but one of said 1 1 a lever fulcrumed on the spring-plate clear of said keys, and opposing hook-carrying plates in rocking engagement with said spring plate over the inner end of the lever, the outer end of said lever being exposed at an end of the binder.

3. In a loose-leaf binder, the combination of a sheet-metal back having loops struck up therefrom at intervals longitudinally thereof, a spring-plate having slots through which the back-loops extend, a key slidable on the plate and detachably engaging the loops, a lever fulcrumed on the spring-plate clear of the key, and opposing hooleearrying plates in rocking" engagement with sai 15 spring plate over the inner end of the lever, the outer end of said lever being exposed atan end of the binder.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee in 20 the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY C. MILLER.

Witnesses:

AnoLPH G. LoTTER, R. E. GEHRKE. 

